1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support frame apparatus for holding and pivotally supporting a liquid container. More particularly, the present invention relates to a support frame apparatus including a base and a cradle, which is pivotally attached to the base. The apparatus is provided to supportively receive a liquid container therein, and to allow controlled and balanced tipping of the liquid container, so that a liquid may be poured therefrom.
2. Description of the Background Art
Many different types of fluids, and particularly beverages such as milk and juices, are commonly sold in flexible plastic gallon jugs. These gallon jugs may be cumbersome for children or for frail persons to handle unaided, especially when they are full.
The same problem may arise with two-liter beverage bottles. While these types of bottles have become de-facto industry standards today, the two-liter bottles are bulky and cumbersome to handle, particularly for young or frail persons, and most notably when the bottles are full.
In addition, both of these types of liquid containers are especially difficult to control when a user is trying to pour using only one hand.
A number of different devices are known for supportively holding a container while allowing for pivotal movement of the container.
Examples of some of the known devices include U.S. Pat. No. 1,755,745 to Parr, U.S. Pat. No. 1,887,881 to Blattner, U.S. Pat. No. 2,060,170 to Buck, U.S. Pat. No. 2,470,154 to Fitzgerald, U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,875 to Okunami, U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,551 to Bishop, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,686 to Morales.
Although the known devices have some utility for their intended purposes, a need still exists in the art for an improved support frame apparatus for enabling a user to easily control and pour from a liquid container.
In particular, there is a need for an improved support frame apparatus which will enable a user to easily control and pour fluid from a plastic gallon jug of the type which is commonly used for milk, juices and the like today, and which will support most of the weight of the jug, while allowing a user to easily pour a liquid therefrom in a controlled manner.
This familiar standardized gallon-capacity jug, shown at 100 in FIG. 2, has a substantially box-shaped lower section with rounded corners, and tapers inwardly at the top part thereof to form a narrow neck, with an integral handle connecting the neck to the body of the jug.
There is also a need for an improved support frame apparatus which will enable a user to easily pour fluid in a controlled manner from a two-liter beverage bottle.
The present invention provides an apparatus for supportively holding a liquid container, while allowing a user to easily pivot the container to pour liquid therefrom. The apparatus supports most of the weight of the container, freeing the user from the burden of supporting the container during pouring.
If desired, the apparatus hereof may easily be stored in a refrigerator, with a milk jug or other fluid container stored therein.
A support apparatus according to the present invention includes a base and a cradle which may be pivotally supported on the base.
The base includes two upstanding side braces interconnected by a web. Preferably, the side braces are substantially vertically oriented, and the web is flat for placement on a surface such as a tabletop or counter.
The cradle is provided for supportively receiving a liquid container, and for moving with the container as it is tilted to pour liquid therefrom. The cradle is pivotally attachable to the base, as noted. The cradle includes a cradle floor for supporting the liquid container thereon.
The cradle floor is preferred to be spaced upwardly away from the web portion of the base, to minimize the chance that a user of the apparatus may accidentally get one or more fingers pinched between the cradle and the base.
The cradle also includes two spaced apart side portions, extending upwardly from opposite side edges of the cradle floor.
A connection bar may be provided for interconnecting the side portions to strengthen and reinforce the cradle structure, and where used, the connection bar extends above the cradle floor. The connection bar may be integral with the cradle floor and extend upwardly therefrom, or alternatively, the connection bar may be spaced upwardly away from the cradle floor. The connection bar also functions to limit forward travel of the fluid container in the cradle.
In a particular embodiment, the cradle further includes a stop member, for contacting the base to limit return movement of the cradle with respect thereto. Preferably, the stop member is attached to one or both of the cradle side portions or to the cradle floor.
In one illustrative embodiment of the support apparatus, each of the cradle side portions has a post attached thereto and extending outwardly thereon, and each of the side braces of the base has a recess formed therein to receive one of the cradle posts. The posts of the cradle fit into the recesses in the base side braces, permitting the cradle to be pivotally moved on the base.
The recesses may, optionally, be substantially V-shaped and open upwardly, so that the cradle may easily be lifted off the base.
Alternatively, each of the base side braces may have a post attached thereto and extending inwardly thereon, and each of the cradle side portions may have a hole formed in an outer surface thereof to receive one of the posts.
In one embodiment of the invention, the stop member includes two side flanges which extend laterally outwardly beyond the cradle side portions, for contacting each of the base side braces to limit movement of the cradle.
In another embodiment of the invention, the base side braces may have hollow pockets formed therein to receive the stop members, allowing the stop members to fit flush with the base edges.
The cradle may also include a bridge, reinforcingly interconnecting the two side portions above the connection bar. Where used, the bridge may include an arcuate bow formed integrally therein to supportively receive a neck of the liquid container. Preferably, the inner surface of the bridge bow is tapered to receive a tapered neck of a fluid container.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for pivotally supporting a liquid container, to allow a user to easily pour liquid out of the container with good control and without great exertion.